Industrial output across Britain surprisingly slid in May, official data showed on Tuesday.
Output fell by 0.7 percent in May compared with a gain of 0.3 percent in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Analysts' consensus forecast was for another gain of 0.3 percent in May, according to a survey by Dow Jones Newswires.
Over a 12 month period, industrial output jumped by 2.3 percent in May, the ONS added, also falling below market expectations for a gain of 3.2 percent.
Manufacturing output -- which excludes mining and quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply -- dropped 1.3 percent in May compared with April. It increased by 3.7 percent year-on-year. --AFP